Green with Envy

Green with Envy

 

 

What was the best part of Invincible? Was it the story of triumph and struggle in the harsh economy of the Carter Years? WRONG! Was it the extremely well shot and realistic football scenes? Not even close! How about the strong bond of brotherhood and friendship in a tight-knit but emotionally stunted community of uber-masculine guys? Nice try. Well, then, it has to be the sheer unearthly hotness of Elizabeth Banks? Sorta.

The best part of Invincible is the Kelly-Green Eagles jerseys.

One of the greatest things about sports is the historical ties that go along with it. Eschewing the serious World War II and Jackie Robinson American History points, each sports fan has a personal history with the teams they love. They grew up with them, suffered with them, cheered for them. That’s the reason why throwback uniforms are so beloved, because they remind us of the reason we fell in love with our teams in the first place, and hearken back to that simple and pure time when we first picked up a glove, ball, or stick.

So it would seem the Philadelphia Eagles brass is missing a huge opportunity by not marketing their throwback look a little more aggressively.

Of the other 31 teams, only four offer no throwback merchandise on their website. Thirteen teams are excused from this rudimentary study, however, because four are new teams (Jags, Ravens, Panthers, and Texans) and nine others have kept the same basic logo structure for their entire existence. That leaves 14 teams with at least some form of throwback merchandise. The Patriots and Bills having the most.

The bottom line doesn’t lie, throwbacks sell.

And while the old Pat Patriot logo is a popular fashion choice for many New Englanders, where’s the love for old Eddy Eagle (probably not his real name)? The Eagles website currently has a small handful of old Kelly-Green Eagles items, but not much, and what they do have is expensive. Nothing against the sleek, new forest-green Eagles, but the Randall-era look is just cooler. The team’s heart was in the right place last year when they wore their 1933 Flag of Philadelphia-inspired jerseys to celebrate their 75th Anniversary, but let’s face it, they were slightly ugly. The effort and kitsch value was still there though, something this Phillyist appreciates.

It's time to take it to the next level. Wear the old Kelly-Greens for one or two games a year and make T-shirts, sweatshirts, and replica jerseys more available to the fans. Let’s hear it for the little pigskin-carrying avian ambassador we loved as kids. Three cheers for silver and green socks! We love the Eagles as they are and we don’t want a massive overhaul, but a nice little tip of the hat to the fun and nostalgia throwbacks can bring might be just what the doctor ordered.

Image Credit: Flickr user Hot Rod Homepage